KSL Greenhouse: After summer harvesting comes late summer planting
Jul 15, 2026, 4:47 PM
From left, green onions, radish, lettuce and carrots are plants that Utah gardeners can plant after their spring and early summer harvests. (Photo credits: Canva)
(Photo credits: Canva)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah gardeners moving into the summer harvesting season may be harvesting beets, peas, and green beans and wondering what to put in their place.
While it is too late for corn and squash, the end of July is a great time to plant many other fall vegetables before the frost comes in mid-October along the Wasatch Front, or, late September at higher elevations. Our friends who are gardening at elevations above 4,500 feet have a much tighter timeline than those in southern Utah.
USU Extension created the table below which suggests general date ranges for fall vegetable planting. Gardeners in southern Utah will want to push these dates back by one to two weeks.
Care and instructions for seeds, soil during summer planting
Seeds can be sensitive to temperature when they are first being planted, so gardeners may want to start seeds inside or in shade, then plant them into your garden from late August to early September.
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You can also place mulch around your planted seeds to keep the soil cool.
Taun Beddes, USU Extension horticulturist and co-host of the KSL Greenhouse show, suggests that gardeners hedge their bets and look for a vegetable variety with a shorter growth cycle; for example a 50- to 60-day growth cycle, instead of 70 days or more.
Gardeners may want to look at getting seeds sooner rather than later. Many stores have already started pulling their seed stands and garden supplies. If the nearby box store has already packed its seeds, go to a local garden or farm store or order your seeds online.
After pulling spring and summer crops, gardeners will want to mix in some compost or fertilizer into the depleted soil and water it at least a day before planting new seeds or transferring germinated plants. Once seeds are in the ground, keep the soil consistently moist until germination. This may mean light watering twice daily in the July heat.
Listen to the KSL Greenhouse show live every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., or anytime on-demand by searching “KSL Greenhouse” in your podcast player. Text in your questions to 57500 during show hours only.
